All-you-should-eat at Claypot Hot Pot

Pork belly and boneless short ribs at Claypot Hot Pot and BBQ. Photo by David Lansing.

I don’t understand people who go to an Italian joint and complain about the tenderloin they ordered. Or go to a steakhouse and complain about the scampi. You have to know what the restaurant you’re dining at does well. And usually it’s not too difficult if you look at the menu.

For instance, at Claypot Hot Pot and BBQ, a Cantonese-style all-you-can-eat hot pot joint, there are like 20 meat items versus 8 seafood items (assuming a fish head is seafood). So why do so many people complain about the oysters being too small or the prawns not tasting fresh enough?

Question: Who the hell orders oysters at an AYCE hot pot restaurant? Would you order oysters at KFC? You want great oysters, go to a seafood restaurant on the docks. You want cheap food, go to Claypot and order the sliced boneless short ribs. And the sliced lamb shoulder. And the pork belly.

And then order the spicy Szechuan soup stock, which has a nice kick to it, and then dip your short ribs in the stock for a minute or two, give it a good dunking in one of the side sauces, and enjoy.

Better yet: Order the spicy Szechuan soup stock and the hearty free-range chicken broth, and they’ll put them 50-50 in one pot. That’s what we did. And it was killer. Just don’t order the oysters.